NITS Mirza in the news



Synopsys VLSI Design Curriculum Adopted by NITS Mirza
Synopsys, Inc., a world leader in software and IP for semiconductor design, verification and manufacturing today announced the adoption of its comprehensive VLSI design curriculum in five regional centers of excellence across India: Visvesvaraya Technologics University (VTU) in the State of Karnataka; Jawaharlal Nehru Technological University (JNTU) Hyderabad in the State of Andhra Pradesh; North East Technical Education Society (NETES) serving the State of Assam and eight other North East states; Bhubaneswar Institute of Technology (BIT) in the State of Orissa; and Chitkara University in the States of Punjab and Himachal Pradesh, where a Masters program in microelectronics was announced earlier. Offered in collaboration with Seer Akademi, the program features a state-of-the-art computing environment, use of Synopsys software tools and IC design flow, and access to experienced faculty. The curriculum will be used in classroom instruction, training and research to help advance the circuit design and fabrication knowledge of India’s engineering graduates. Courses will be conducted via interactive online webinars, social networking media and live sessions with academic and industry experts. New programs in embedded systems, alternate energy, electronics entrepreneurship and smart grid technology will also be created. Courses are planned to be available starting fall 2010. Developed by the Synopsys Armenia Education Department (SAED), the curriculum is part of the Synopsys Worldwide University Program. This proven educational model of university-industry cooperation was successfully implemented in Armenia, Russia and China before being adopted by universities in India. The program is aimed at training specialists to meet the complex design requirements of semiconductor industry companies, a key component in the competiveness of India’s high tech economy. The goal is to provide a qualified workforce that has the knowledge and skills necessary to be quickly productive in the industry. Working with Seer Akademi, SAED will also provide the regional centers of excellence with the industry experts and academic faculty to supervise Master theses and PhD dissertations. The centers of excellence in Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and the North Eastern Region are leading the way to implement critical educational programs to provide highly qualified engineers for India’s growing high tech economy.


The Assam Tribune, Feb 5
Young Innovators showcase talent
Remil Roshan Herenj, Niranjan Tanti, and Syamanta Das might not appear as tech savvy young men, but what they and a few others have achieved is impressive not just for their peers but for all science innovators. The trio from Golaghat district has demonstrated that far away from cities young minds can generate ingenious ideas which can be translated into practical devices or actionable models. Remil’s carbon reducing device, and Das and Tanti’s organic pesticides indicate that science at grassroots can contribute to human welfare. Emerging through the Aryabhatta Science Centres of various districts, these and other young men and women are showcasing their products and applications in the ongoing ‘Ideas to Action’ exhibition at the city’s Assam Engineering Institute playground. Organised by the Assam Science Technology and Environment Council (ASTEC), the exhibition is unique in bringing together young talents in science, innovators, entrepreneurs and research organizations to a single venue so that they could respond to each others needs. Among the students a few stalls have offered exciting learning opportunities. The stall of NITS Mirza has excited young visitors with its display of robot cars which make intelligent moves. Emily Rahman, a young student from Shillong, who was among those impressed, said that such events should be organized in schools and colleges on a regular basis. In the stall of the Rainforest Research Institute, a range of bamboo and cane species are on display. Among those, visitors could see Hati Bet (Plectocomia assamica) a cane that is endemic to this part of the world. The thick cane is used by indigenous communities in Arunachal Pradesh to build cane bridges in areas where no other building materials can be used. Other exhibits include a number of processed products made of cane and bamboo. At the ASTEC’s own stall young students were able to observe satellite imagery of various parts of Assam on a large monitor and have their queries answered. Resource persons in the stall demonstrated the use of a blood testing kit and a soil and water testing kit. A modified loom was an object of interest to those acquainted with local textiles and their production process. Developed by Dipak Bharali of Sualkuchi, the loom reduces production time very substantially. The commercial launch of the loom would take place in March, Bharali informed. For those interested in space exploration and research, the Northeastern Space Application Centre offers models, and visuals. The stall has displayed scale models of Edusat and Chandrayan 1. Resource persons Arup Borgohain and Partha Sarathi Das stated that they a section of youth and some teachers have shown keen interest to know about recent happenings in space exploration and in space technology such as satellites and rockets.


The Telegraph, Tuesday , November 3 , 2009
Inauguration of Bhola Nath Saikia Centre for Communication Research
The Institute of Technology and Science (NITS) Mirza run by NETES (North East Technical Education Society), in Kamrup district, added another feather to its cap when the Bhola Nath Saikia Centre for Communication Research was inaugurated on Friday in memory of the founder director of the Assam Police Radio Organisation. The centre, the first of its kind in this region, will exclusively deal with developing communication and teaching aids for schools and colleges besides models for replication and creating incubation facilities. Saikia’s wife Bibha Saikia lit the ceremonial lamp and cut the ribbon to inaugurate the centre in front of distinguished guests, eminent academicians, family members, members of NETES besides staff and students of NITS Mirza. Chief guest H.L Duorah, the former vice-chancellor of Gauhati University and an eminent professor of physics and astronomical sciences, shared his views on the prevailing academic scenario and relevance of such a research facility in an engineering college.


The TeleGraph: Jul 21, 2009
The recently concluded workshop on robotics at the NETES Institute of Technology and Science (NITS), Mirza was intended as an introduction to the practical side of engineering through the use of robotics as a teaching mechanism. NETES, or Northeast Technological Society, is a group supported by the All-India Council for Technical Education. The monthlong workshop was conducted from June 15 by people with extensive experience in robotics and embedded design. The students were chosen on merit and came from most of the prominent local colleges and especially from engineering colleges. The first phase of the workshop focused primarily on basic electronics, since the participants’ collective knowledge in this area was quite weak. Rather than teach them theory, the authorities got the participants to “learn by doing”. Each of them made an ultrasonic range finder. The first phase ended with the participants gaining excellent functional knowledge of basic electronics design implements. The second phase of the workshop covered the use of micro-controllers in robotics. A part of the time was spent understanding how to manipulate this complex device. To facilitate rapid testing, the participants made development boards with the micro-controllers and since these were tailored to specific needs, they were better than any other tool. The workshop ended with the successful completion of all the projects.


Dateline – Sun, Jun 14, 2009
NITS Mirza inaugurated by Hon’ble Chief Minister of Assam, Shri Tarun Gogoi
At a glittering function attended by a cross-section of representatives from Government, Industry, Academia, Media and the general public, Shri Tarun Gogoi, Hon’ble Chief Minister of Assam, formally inaugurated the brand new campus of NITS Mirza. Speaking at the function, Shri Gogoi lauded this unique initiative of a few passionate academicians and professionals to provide the students of Assam a golden opportunity to realize their full potential in Science, Engineering, Technology and Management disciplines. Noting the key difference of the NITS belief – Practice Leads to Perfection – he agreed that creativity and innovation applied to engineering and technology would provide much-needed solutions for the problems faced by the common man. Dr. Anup Gogoi, President of the North East Technical Education Society (NETES) informed the audience of the prime motive of setting up NITS Mirza, and gave examples of solutions already being developed by the NETES Lab set up in Guwahati. He promised the parents and guardians of future students that NITS Mirza would provide incomparable hands-on experience in live technical projects as well a wholesome personality development for a successful career on graduation from its portals.
Prof. Arup Misra, Secretary, NETES compered the event in his engaging style and heartily thanked the Hon’ble Chief Minister as well as the local MLA, Mr. Pranav Kalita for committing their whole-hearted support to the Institute in the years to come.
Dr. A.K. Baruwa, Principal, NITS Mirza outlined the various plans in place for the Institute and mentioned the backgrounds of the Faculty who shall be teaching full-time at the Institute. He noted that over 80% of them were PhDs from prestigious academic institutions like the IITs, and many had rich teaching experience at prestigious institutions (San Jose University, California USA; AIT Bangkok; Warwick University, UK, etc. ) from across the world.
The function ended with a demonstration of the unique “Remote Lab” concept to the visiting dignitaries and other attendees. Pioneered by the NETES Lab engineers, the Remote Lab makes teaching through experiments an integral part of science and technology education.


Dateline – Sun, Jun 14, 2009
A range of Mid-tech and Hi-Tech Technology Solutions unveiled at NITS Mirza
At the Inauguration Ceremony of NITS Mirza, one of the important sidelights was the focus on a range of technologies that make life simpler and better for all. Demonstrated in the small Exhibition area were a battery-operated easy-to-drive multi-purpose 3-wheeler vehicle, a DG set run thresher-cum-shredder for farmers and the revolutionary “Remote Lab” for imparting live, interactive and practical learning to science and engineering students. Young scientists of the NETES Lab were at hand to demonstrate the workings of the various tools and gadgets. The visiting dignitaries, led by the Hon’ble Chief Minister, Shri Tarun Gogoi, showed active interest in the demonstrations and urged the faculty, staff and students to continue to build upon this excellent start. The local MLA, Mr. Kolita even promised to provide funding from the local government funding scheme to facilitate more such projects in the future.


Dateline – Mon, Jun 15, 2009
Free Robotics Workshop launched for future engineers at NITS Mirza
In keeping with its goals of providing practice based learning for students of Science and Technology, NITS Mirza launched a month long workshop on Robotics for engineering students from the region. This free workshop will allow participants to:
  • Make any autonomous robot capable of doing any possible task
  • Enhance their programming skills for embedded designs
  • Learn about hardware design of embedded peripherals
  • Learn about System Integration of various robotic components.

During this workshop, all attending students will be provided access to:
  • High end programmers and microcontrollers
  • Vehicles equipped with High Power Motors
  • Controlling system for the autonomous robots and their explanations
  • High end Ultrasonic transducers for measuring distance and Infrared sensors
  • Components for making their own programmers right from scratch

Other components for testing and debugging the circuits (Breadboards, Digital ICs, Function Generators, Cathode Ray Oscilloscopes, Digital Storage Oscilloscopes, etc.)
The free Robotics Workshop had limited seats and was quickly oversubscribed. The participants of the workshop are engineering students from IIT Guwahati, IT-BHU, AEC, Tezpur University, LNMIT Jaipur, etc. Students who could not enroll for this workshop may enquire about future workshops to be held by NITS Mirza by emailing us at info@nitsmirza.com with complete details of their education profile and a small paragraph on “I am interested in Robotics because …”.